Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-12-02

Apples and grapes-the stalwart limbs OF trees
cmerrnI-the fresh, free. open air,
Aud love and faith, like scented ru~eS blooming
Walt Whitman In Lppincotta
A FAILURE OF JUSTICE
Ihave al Ways. hope. entertained due
respect for the powers that he: but never
fully appreciated the position Of those
powers till became one of them myself,
by being made II magistrate" for Middle
sex. Such WAS the common phase by
which the thouchtless throng described
my accession To that dignity, but i need
scarcely say that the correc, description Of
! i, is that WAS put in the commission of
the peace. IL is only men of war that are
put into commission on the water, but
on land it's different In ancient bor-
oughs and other places where line old
English customs still survive, persons
! who are thus exalted even have a sword
girt on them by the corporation. or other
| important body, kneeling; but no such
| ceremony now ordinarily takes place.
According to modern practice, the lord
| lieutenant of the county after n0ach ma
| ture thought, and perhaps prayer selects
/ the most honorable aud fitting persons for
this post, and then appoints them by let
ter Ia this simplicity there is perhaps
/ as much signiiicance-for those who can
see below the surface-as in the more
ancient forms of investiture.
To all outward appearance l was the
same man rs / was the day before my
elevation; but ah the difference to mer'
Iu my inmost heart felt myself a custOs
rotulorum, which is not q thing to be met
with every day, let me tell you-nOr
every other day. l did not quite know
what il meant myself, but-like a pro-
lessor of metaphysics-1 was quite pre-
pared to let other people know.
l caused cockades To be attached to the
hats Of my men servants, go large that,
| i'll The case OF the page, some said it looked
us if the page was attached TO the cockade,
which sentimentally speaking. he certain
! ly WAS rot. since he complained to my
wife Of its making him an object OF ridi-
cule. | sent for him to my study, and
harangued him-as if from the bench-
in very satisfactory and telling manner
dismissing him after three quarters Of an
hour without a stain upon his charac
ter, but in foods Of tears. 1 found the
phrase IAN original one, flatter myself,
Il do not seek, unhappy lad, 10 add To the
poignancy Of your position" exceedingly
efficacious.
1t was my first intention, in order to fit
myself for my important duties, to read
Burns Justice from title page to clos
ing line; but after six attempts--five of
which resulted in slumber, and the last
IN one so deep and stertorous that it re-
sembled an apoplcctic seizure-I gave
that up and fell back upon the police re-
ports, where, after all one gets the essen
tials. found il good practice, so far as
department was concerned, 10 address
myself 10 organ grinders in the street, be
ginning, Look here. my man, l am u
magistrate, and ending with quotation
rom the 4th section of the 10Th act OF
Victoria Before l had done they gener-
ally packed up their traps, white mice
and all, and, mutiering something about
insensato-which, | suppose, is the ltal
ian mode Of expressing penitence-moved
of pretty quickly.
am very far, l hope, notwithstanding
what certain envious people twho have no
more chance OF becoming justices OF the
relce than members of parliament, may
chance to say, from being sybody, hut
l confess that | rather desired an Oppor-
tunity of dispensing justice-not collec-
lively, as IL were, upon the bench (where
the individual is merged in the majority,
OF what is almost as bad, in the minority
but IN my own proper person. and AT
last that opportunity came. II happened.
too, in the company Of my nephew John
from Eton, which WAS all the more agree
able 10 me, as the boy was inclined 10 he
frivolous and needed perhaps Ia have i'm
pressed upon him due reverence and re-
spcct for the high office into which | had
been inducted
We had been dining ont at Christmas
time with another uncle Of his in the
northeastern district Of London, and had
been detained by the various amusements
connected with that festive season-char-
AIDES, snap dragon, forfcits and gin punch
till late hour. II was a bitterly cold
and snowy night; there was no cabstand
near the house, and we had started home
on foot with the intention Of picking up
the first four wheele7-my nephew
called il "a growler," though it is no
where so described in the aCt-One could
meet with. At 1910 We found one stand
ing at the door of public house, which
ut that hour ought, Of course, to have
been closed and To have harbored neither
cabman nor any other customer. With
the cunning peculiar To tbose who habi;u-
ally defy the law, the landlord had put
lie lights out i'll the house; but with the
r:a.yhteaness CommCu to crime he
had forgotten that the presence Of the
empty cab outside betrayed his transgres-
sion. Here" said |, John, is a clear
case of II breach Of cap :, section s, and
You shall see how magistrate deals with
it," Perhaps il was T.ot only the sense of
duty which was actuating me; l was cold
and tired. and quite resolved upon getting
that cab TO 90 home in.
An right, uncle" replied John, duti-
fully enough, but he added something
which sounded like Here's Iarks," for
which ! saw no appropriateness save of
the very yaguest Kind, in connection with
the inclemency Of the weather.
l pulled out the front door bell to its
fullest extent, and stepped back into the
frosty street 10 mark the effect. There
was no sign whatever of movement in the
house, So / rang again; still nothing hap
pened. john said /, las sure AS this
mans name is William wilkins he shall
lose his license. He has concealed the
cabman on his premises, and is probably
ut this moment supplying him with liquor
in contravention Of the law. His object
is Ia persuade me that he and
his family have gone to rest: but he does
not know your uncle" Again pealed
the bell and knocked smartly ut the door
with the handle of my umbrella. A win
dow on the upper floor was now opened:
well, what's the natter" inquired q
sruff and sleepy voice, or rather gruff |
voice that simulated sleepiness. |
The matter is" said, in an austere |
tone, that You have got the cabman be- |
longing to This vehicle under your roof, |
where he is, l have no doubt, drinking"
You're liar" interrupted the voice,
with grea; distincrness.
Before ! could express my indignation |
iohn burst into such a lit OF laughter as |
should nave thought no Eton boy could |
have indulged in; n very loud, coarse, vul. |
gar laugh indeed, am sorry to say